


Watching You Go

by Theonewhosawitall



Series: Rick's View [7]
Category: Magnum P.I. (TV 2018)
Genre: Art, Coda, F/M, Jealousy, Poker, Season 3 episode 8, Surfing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-01
Updated: 2021-03-01
Packaged: 2021-03-13 07:40:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,243
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29772849
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Theonewhosawitall/pseuds/Theonewhosawitall
Summary: Juliet is all over Doctor Ethan, Magnum is loudly jealous, and Rick's wondering if his feelings are even worth perusing. Especially when he and Shammy bump into a familiar face.Season 3 Episode 8
Relationships: Juliet Higgins/Orville Wilbur Richard "Rick" Wright
Series: Rick's View [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2181300
Comments: 14
Kudos: 8





	Watching You Go

Rick gave a cocky laugh as he laid his cards down on the table for everyone to see, "Straight flush."

The ripple of annoyance across the table made him laugh. Three times in a row he was bringing in this sweepstake tonight.

"This guy's on fire," Gordon grumbled.

"He takes any more of my money, I'll set him on fire!" Kumu huffed.

TC snickered. He nudged Rick playfully as Rick scoffed. He stacked his chips carefully into piles in front of him. Juliet giggled. Rick glanced over at her, over his chips. Doctor Ethan was all over her like a rash. Rick clenched his jaw. The utter focus on his cards tonight was working out in two ways. Firstly, he wanted absolutely nothing to do with the mess of Juliet and Ethan tangled together at the end of the table, and this was an excellent distraction. Secondly, anything he could do to make money and keep the bar afloat was worth it.

Thomas stretched his back out and yawned. Ethan tilted his head.

"Hey, uh, you want a scrip for that? I, uh, I know you've been having trouble sleeping."

Thomas's face fell. He glanced towards Rick and TC. Neither looked back. He looked back to Ethan, "How would you know that?"

"I might have mentioned it," Juliet said, sheepishly.

Thomas gave a tense laugh that sent a bolt of alarm through Rick. He knew that laugh. It was fake. Very fake. Whenever he sounded like that, it never ended well.

"Really?" He smiled.

"Magnum, Ethan is a doctor. He's offering you a remedy. I think the correct response might be thank you," Juliet said, pointedly.

Rick and TC shared a look as Thomas rolled his head back and laughed. There was a storm brewing in him and it was difficult to watch.

"Well, Dr. Ethan, thank you, but no, thank you," Thomas said, firmly.

Ethan shrugged, "Okay."

TC pursed his lips. He flicked out the cards across the table to deal them out. Rick slid them across the table to pick them up.

"Feeling really, really good about this one, I'm not gonna lie," he grinned.

Kumu hummed dubiously at the other end of the table. If Rick had been able to look her way without enduring the sight of the girl he loved wrapped up in someone else's arms then he would have shot her a wink. Instead he cleared his throat.

"Hey, uh, Shammy wants to surf this weekend," He said to TC, "You in?"

"Oh, I'm gonna raise five," Thomas threw his poker chips across the table.

He was scowling at Juliet and Ethan. The more she giggled the more it ground against him. Rick would back him up in a heartbeat the moment he said anything. He just needed a cover.

"Can't," TC apologised, "A Marine homie asked me to talk to potential officer candidates."

Now that was a distraction. Rick frowned. "Hang on, is that Mitch? I know Mitch. Why wouldn't Mitch ask me?"

TC shrugged, "Cause he knew I would do it better."

Rick scowled. Now he was jealous for two reasons. This whole day had just become even more frustrating.

"I call."

"Call."

"I am definitely in."

"Ooh, Kumu!" TC laughed.

The others forced themselves to sound engaged but it was difficult. Juliet and Ethan were grown ups, they should not have been piled against each other like horny high school seniors.

"Bet's to you, Higgy!" TC stated.

Thomas sighed. He tried to keep the snarl out of his tone but the impatience slipped through.

"Oh, sorry."

Juliet looked surprised that she was called upon, as if she wasn’t playing a game at all. No wonder she kept losing. She shuffled to pick up her cards. From where he was slumped, sulking in his chair, Thomas caught the moment of her leg under the table.

"Hey, hey, you can't - You guys can't do that!" He cried.

Juliet frowned at him, "Do what?"

"You're colluding under the table!" He accused, "I saw you - you were doing something."

As the words left his mouth Thomas realised what he had seen. Rick's chest ached. It was bad enough they were doing _this_ above the table, did they really have to do _that_ under it. Kumu ducked her head under the table to confirm their suspicions.

"Oh, they're playing footsie," she said, drily.

Rick felt his chest throb and a white hot spring of jealousy. He slammed the cards down on the table, "No, no. You know what? He's right. You can't do that. You could be signalling what cards you have!"

Juliet's mouth gaped in surprised. She stared at him for a second, and he felt the heat under his collar trying to bake him alive. He had almost no idea how she would signal cards through playing footsie, but if he and Thomas stuck together on this, maybe they would finally have to split apart for five minutes.

"I-I swear, we're not cheating," Juliet insisted.

"That's exactly what someone who's cheating would say," Gordon pointed out.

He didn't think they were cheating anymore than anyone else at the table did, but honestly enough was enough. He had a hormonal teenager at home, he didn't need to deal with them here too.

"Oh, come on!" Ethan argued.

"This is absurd. If we are cheating, we're not very good at it, are we? I mean, Thomas's chip stack is twice the size of ours put together!" Juliet argued.

"Exactly! All the more reason for you to want your money back!" Thomas countered.

He felt a rush of cold smug pleasure at the way their friends had taken his side. They were all for Juliet finally dating again, but there was no need to rub their noses in it. Especially tonight. Poker night was for family. Abby hadn't even attended. Ethan was _not_ as welcome as they pretended he was.

"Oh, do you really want to start talking about who owes whom money at this table?!" Juliet snapped back.

Rick snorted. He tried to hold it in, but he couldn't. Juliet could wipe the smile off of Thomas's face in one sentence and he loved that. Beside him, TC jeered.

"She does have a point there," He beamed.

Thomas threw up a hand, "Just saying. Poker is not a team sport."

Juliet rolled her eyes and sat up, "Okay, fine. You know what? I'll make this easy. I fold."

She slammed her cards down onto the table and gave him a look that shot daggers across the table. Rick felt a sliver of guilt. Thomas might have been the loudest opposition, but he was just as disgusted.

Ethan grinned, "Yeah, I'm... I'm out, too."

"Okay," TC declared, moving swiftly on, "Here comes the flop."

Without the game to distract them Juliet turned fully to face Ethan, and his hands moved to her waist. Rick's stomach dropped. She giggled as Ethan whispered in her ear. He practically sucked at her throat and her eyes were shining. Rick couldn't pull his eyes away. This was so much worse than before.

"Rick, that's to you."

TC nudged him pointedly but Rick wanted to choke. Or, more accurately, he wanted to choke Ethan.

"Oh, sorry. I was just, uh, throwing up a little bit in my mouth," he said, bitterly, "Uh, I'll check."

Juliet wrapped her arms around Ethan's neck as though her legs weren't already draped across his lap. Thomas dropped his head back against the back of his chair as he held in a groan of frustration. Juliet squealed with laughter. Kumu rolled her eyes. She slammed her fist into the table, making the chips bounce, and Juliet gasp.

"Okay, seriously, guys?! We're in the middle of a big hand here!" She snapped.

Juliet frowned. She looked like a scolded teen as she peeled herself off of the good doctor.

"What do you want us to do? Ignore each other?" She asked sarcastically.

If it were up to Rick they wouldn't just ignore each other, they wouldn't even exist in the same space. If he has any way of doing so, he would force Ethan into a space shuttle and ship him off to mars for the rest of time. Actually maybe if he made a few calls...

"I-I mean, you could get a room?" Thomas said, pointedly.

Gordon nodded, "Good idea."

"Yeah, get a room. That's my vote," Rick spat.

"Fine!" Juliet rose to her feet, clearly irritated, "this is, after all, my estate, and I can do what I damn well please here!"

"Then go do what you damn well please, _somewhere else_!" Thomas spat back.

"Maybe I will!" She cried.

"Fine!" He yelled.

"Fine!" She yelled back. She stormed out of the wine cellar, and shouted, "Come along Ethan!"

Ethan hesitated. He didn’t much like being treated like one of the dogs. But the alternative was staying here in the heavy tension with people who clearly wanted him gone. He hurried after Juliet.

Rick stared at the door as they vanished. His heart was thumping hard. Thomas closed his eyes and bowed his head. Juliet was a fully grown woman, and Ethan was a very attractive doctor. Rick wasn't a fool. He knew they were sleeping together. He just didn't have to witness it before. It felt like swallowing lava.

"Thank God for that," Kumu grumbled.

"You mean thank Thomas," TC corrected.

"Yeah buddy," Rick snarled, "Thanks a lot."

Thomas glanced his way. It was a fleeting glance, but enough for Rick to notice the pink tinge to his cheeks. At least Thomas was hating this as much as he was. Gordon sat up and cleared his throat.

"Shall we continue?" He asked, "I mean I've got cash in play and I'm ready to take Rick down a peg or two."

"Oooh, that's fighting talk!" TC laughed. He nudged Rick again, "you gonna take that brother?"

Rick shifted at the nudge but his heart was not in this game anymore. His head wasn’t even in the room. He forced a smile. That was what he was best at. Pretending everything was okay.

"We'll see," he stated.

"I uh, I fold," Thomas muttered.

He didn't feel like playing anymore. Without Shammy and now Juliet, it didn't feel like family poker night anymore. It definitely wasn’t fun anymore.

"Well I call. I don't know what you've got there Rick, but you're not keeping it!" Kumu warned.

Rick let out a soft smirk. He was fond of Kumu. She had a strange sort of vodka-aunt-come-cool-grandma energy about her. If she had been around when he was growing up instead of Icepick, maybe the choice wouldn't have just been the navy or jail. If she wanted to play, he didn't want to ruin her night.

"Alright," Rick said, slowly. He sat up and leaned across his chips again, "let's do this."

"Alright!" TC grinned.

Gordon chuckled along with them. He let them have their smack talk, but he was holding a pair of kings. He was confident they weren’t going to win. Gordon didn’t bet of Kumu holding an ace, or TC laying down two more for her. Three aces beat two kings and three was nothing he could do about it.

Kumu chuckled darkly and the others sat up. Thomas shifted in his seat. Now that the tension was lifting again and Kumu was beating them, his attention shifted back to the game. He needed to win at least a few more hands. He had debts to pay off after all.

"Hey Tommy, what'd you say we make this interesting? You win this next game, and I'll cover half your tab," TC challenged.

Rick's eyes widened in alarm, _"Dude!"_

"Shh baby, I got this," TC assured him.

Rick hoped he did. Thomas was their biggest money haemorrhage. If they didn’t get him to pay up they wouldn't be able to pay off the wall Booky had driven through a few weeks back.

Thomas raised an eyebrow. "Half my tab? As it stands or by the end of the month?"

"As it stands! I know fish that drink less than you," TC snorted.

"And at least they know their plaice!"

A groan ran around the table but Rick just grinned. As long as bad puns got a reaction it fuelled him, he didn't care if it was a bad one.

"What happens if neither of us win?" Thomas asked.

"We draw a line under the bet and forget it," TC shrugged.

Thomas pursed his lips, considering this, and then nodded. "You're on."

"That's a mistake," Gordon declared, shaking his head.

Thomas laughed. He turned to jape with Gordon instead and Rick leaned towards TC.

"You're gonna win right?" He asked, quietly.

"I don’t have to win, we just have to beat Thomas," TC said.

"I dunno man, with the luck we've been having lately? He's probably gonna get a royal flush!" Rick warned.

"Maybe. It's no fun if there's no risk right?" TC shrugged.

Rick's eyebrows rose. He looked impressed, "You are not the man I thought you were."

"You ain’t seen nothing yet," TC winked.

Rick said nothing but he pulled a face as he sat up again. He didn’t know whether to be worried or excited. Turns out it didn’t matter anyway because Kumu won. Again.

"Look who's on fire now!" Kumu laughed smugly.

"Come on!" Thomas groaned.

"Uh-huh!" Kumu grinned.

"I see you Kumu," TC warned, happily.

He raised his head at the shifting movement of Juliet's shadow before she came storming back in again. TC had never fully been able to shift the constant low key search for danger that had been embedded into him in basic training. It made him feel like a meerkat at times, but it kept him safe.

Gordon smirked, "Hey, look who's back."

Both Rick and Thomas sat up again. They were both instantly far more alert whenever she entered. Then again, so were Zeus and Apollo.

"That was fast," Kumu sounded concerned, "What happened?"

Juliet scowled, "Don't ask."

"No way you had time to-" Kumu was cut off by the laser focused warning if Juliet eyes. "Yeah."

That same laser focused, cold, calculating look stayed on Juliet's face as she looked along the table. The tension in the room was growing again. This time it felt more like a predator creeping through long grass though. TC cleared his throat.

"Why you eyeing our chips like a starving hyena?" He asked.

Juliet came to a silent decision. She sat up and patted the table readily. "Can we just shut up and play, please? Kumu, would you deal?"

Kumu blinked. "Okay."

"Mm, watch out, guys," Thomas smiled, "I think Higgy's about to take our money."

He was definitely happy to see her on her own, but Rick never liked to assume. He had been made a fool of too often. Juliet pulled Ethan's chips towards her again, and the look of rapture on her face dared them to argue with her. Rick's chest gave a hopeful beat.

"Will the good doctor not be joining us?" He asked.

"Nope. Call," she stated.

"Shame," Rick lied.

He looked down at the table to hide his happy grin. TC rolled his eyes. He looked to Thomas to help him judge Rick, and found Thomas not bothering to mask his smile. TC raised his eyes to the heavens. His brothers were idiots and it was going to be a problem.

After Juliet absolutely cleaned up, it was time to call it a night. Rick and TC walked Magnum back to the guest house to try and help soothe his mind before he had to sleep. Nightmares sucked, but they were easier to handle if there was someone with you. Unfortunately neither could stay. They had work tomorrow.

"Think he'll actually sleep?" Rick asked as he climbed into the van.

"Probably not," TC sighed.

"I wish there was something we could do," Rick sighed.

"We could try convincing him to take those pills Dr Ethan offered. They might actually help," TC said.

Rick made a sound that was part way between a snicker and a scoff. As much as he wanted to help his friend, they both knew what he was like. He didn't like doctors. Less so than ever.

"You know Tommy, he doesn't trust anything that might alter his brain. It's the only power he has right now. And besides, he’s too poor to afford Medicare," Rick sighed.

TC scoffed. He tightened his grip on the wheel, "That's not the issue and you know it!"

Rick blinked in surprise at his friends sudden impatience. "I do?"

"He doesn't like Ethan. Neither of you do," TC accused.

Rick's shoulders tensed and he made a show of sneering, "What?! That’s - that’s crazy! You’re crazy Theodore!"

TC rolled his eyes. After all these years, after all that time trapped in a cage together, after becoming business partners, Rick still thought he could hide things from him.

"It's not crazy, what's crazy is you and Tommy both crushing on Higgy at the same damn time!" TC huffed.

Rick's voice raised an octave as he squeaked, "What?"

"Don't bother man, I know you too well for that to work. Besides, Booky talks," TC huffed.

Rick scowled. He thumped the dashboard furiously, _"Dammit Booky,_ I knew I shouldn't have talked!"

Rick huffed again as he slunk down in his seat to sulk. This was getting ridiculous. Two people had caught him out without him saying a word. It wouldn't be long before Kumu figured it out too - especially now TC had. He was terrible at lying. He was already too full of confidential information for his liking, he didn't like to lie or keep secrets outside of the Navy anymore. And if those three could figure it out _Thomas_ would. He was a private detective for God's sake. If Juliet figured it out it would be trouble enough, but _Thomas?_

Rick couldn't do that to him.

He wouldn’t stand in the way of his friends happiness.

"What are you gonna do?" TC asked gently.

Rick rested his head on his arm and sighed, "Nothing. There's nothing I can do. She's with someone else. _Doctor Shaw. MD!_ " He scoffed bitterly and shook his head. "You saw her tonight she’s all over him. Guys a good looking doctor and I didn't even graduate high school..."

TC frowned hard. "So what? I've never known you to be intimidated by intellect before."

"I'm not intimidated!" Rick lied sharply, "I just think... I just think someone like her would be happier with someone like him. What do I have to offer that a rich handsome doctor doesn’t?"

TC pursed his lips. While he definitely didn’t want to encourage this, he didn’t like seeing his friend so down about himself. "Well for one thing you stayed the whole night."

"That's true," Rick said, slowly.

TC didn’t like the way that he perked up at that, "But it doesn't matter anyway because Higgy is our friend. Hell man, she's our sister! It's bad enough we've got Magnum sulking, I need you to be better!"

Rick's face fell again. He was starting to wonder why, given all the time he spent in a wine cellar tonight, he was still sober. It didn't seem fair but TC was right. Thomas was currently the second most important person in Juliet's life, and he was being childish about it. Rick didn't want to be childish.

"I'm not going to get between Juliet and her happiness TC," he said, quietly, "I wouldn't."

"No. You wouldn't..." TC agreed quietly.

He felt a flicker of guilt in his chest at the accusations. Rick was dedicated beyond reason. He threw himself into things, sacrificing anything he had to help others. He risked his freedom for Icepick, he risked his business for his staff, and yes, he would risk his happiness for Juliet's. Even if it meant getting into another argument about responsibility with Thomas.

"What are we gonna do about our boy?" Rick sighed. "We cant keep passing this off as exhaustion."

"I dunno but we'll think of something," TC said, firmly.

"Sure. Ill ask Sham what he thinks while you’re busy recruiting the next gen of marine!" Rick said, pointedly.

"Don't be jealous Orville," TC rolled his head to smirk at him, "Green ain’t your colour."

Rick squinted back like he thought looks could wound, even if they couldn’t kill. TC chuckled as he pulled up outside of Rick's apartment building.

"Thanks for the ride. Try not to drive off any cliffs on your way home," Rick said, sarcastically.

TC chuckled affectionately as Rick climbed out of the car, "Love you man."

"Yeah love you too," Rick grumbled.

Rick waved as TC drove off, but his chest felt heavy. TC wasn't about to let him get away without talking about this again. He had this theory that talking through things made them easier to deal with, which was why he went to meetings with Shammy so often. Rick accepted this theory. More than that, he actively supported it. He was a bartender after all, talking things out with people was half the job.

Talking through his _own_ feelings though, that he didn't like. Not even slightly.

"So what's the problem?" Shammy asked plainly.

"The problem is I don't see why I'm not good enough to be considered an option. I'm not expecting to be picked or anything, but at least accept I'm a choice, y’know?" Rick complained.

"Dude, who cares? If it's not him then it's someone else, there’s always someone else. At least now you've got time to hang out and surf with me," Shammy grinned.

Rick laughed and shook his head, "C’mon Shammy, you know I'll always make time to surf with you, no matter how many generals want me to talk to the new recruits."

"I thought he wasn't a general?"

"Does it matter?"

"Not really."

Rick climbed up onto the base of the car door to reach the surfboards strapped to the roof easier. Shammy folded his arms across his lap like a mobster as he eyed him.

"You wanna know what I think?" He asked.

Rick grunted as he tried to loosen the straps across the boards. He turned his head towards Shammy for a moment before continuing.

"I got a choice?" He asked.

"Nope," Shammy declared. He didn’t even pause before diving straight into, "I think you're feeling insecure."

Rick's amused chuckle turned into an uncomfortable frown. He hauled the now free board off of the roof and stepped down from the car to lean against it.

"Insecure? Me? I’m the most secure person in the world, what do I have be insecure about?" He asked.

"Okay, what I'm about to say I say with love," Shammy warned.

That was enough to strike fear into Rick's heart. Prefacing anything with that sort of cushioning meant whatever Shammy was about to say, Rick didn't want to know. He just wasn't fast enough to stop it.

"I changed my mind I don't wanna know-"

"You got yourself arrested for fighting in your old bar right?" Shammy said, ignoring him, "and then you tried to buy this place and no one was there to back you up, except the same people who back you up through every other mistake you’ve ever made-"

Rick climbed back up onto the car to grumble, "Not entirely true-"

"And now you're financially tied to this bar and this business and you're desperately trying to keep it afloat to support yourself and all these people who are relying on you for money because - again, I say this with love - you’re the kind of idiot who can't hear a sob story without wanting to jump in and rescue them."

"I'm not sure idiot's the word there," Rick frowned.

"No, Rick, seriously I'm not knocking you for it. Hell dude, I wouldn't be here without you, or TC!" Shammy insisted, "You're a good person and it's going to destroy your business which, since you’re supported by TC's, risks both TC's company and my job!"

Rick stopped dead where he stood. "Damn, I didn’t even think about your job..."

"Thanks," Shammy snickered.

"No, sorry, I just mean..." Rick ran a hand through his hair as he let out a heavy sigh, "when I took on the bar I was so sure I could keep it going. Then all this happened, then the storm, and the boat, and _Booky..._ whatever goes wrong should all be my responsibility. My consequences. I hate that it's gonna affect TC and my staff, and you."

"Then don’t screw it up," Shammy shrugged.

Rick rolled his eyes and said, drily, "Wow that's- that's literally the best advice I’ve ever heard, you should become a motivational speaker, are you available for hire?"

"Shut up and let's hit the waves already! Maybe out there you wont be as much of a buzzkill," Shammy smirked.

"I'm serious Sham, you should write these down into a book, I'm sure you could make big money- _ow!_ That was my toe!"

"I know."

Shammy shot him a cocky smirk as he wheeled away. Rick pursed his lips to hide his own smirk. He gave as good as he got and he couldn't help feeling slightly smug that Shammy did too. After everything they'd been through, they could finally safely behave like idiots.

Surfing out with Shammy was slightly trickery without TC there for back up, but having something to focus on did help to take Rick's mind off of work and Juliet. It was hard to care about income tax when you’ve got a mouth full of salt water.

As they came back in, laughing, Shammy spotted someone else who could be a distraction.

"Rick look, four o'clock," he urged.

Rick's head turned to see where he was looking. His eyes widened. "Hey, I know her! Hey - hey, Suzie!"

Rick cupped a hand around his mouth as he called out to a blonde woman wandering down the road with armfuls of art supplies. She turned to face him in surprise, and lit up.

"Oh, hi!"

Shammy cocked his head curiously as be watched Suzie adjust her grip on her art supplies so she could come over to talk to them. Last time he had seen Rick in the arms of a woman she turned out to be an out of work model. It was fairly obvious what this woman did for a living, but you never knew with Rick.

"What are you doing here-" Rick instinctively reaches to hug her and then suddenly snatched his arms back, "sorry are you doing hugging after-"

"Covid-19?" She smiled, knowingly, "Yeah, no, I'm good, I had it, I got over it and now I cannot stop hugging people!"

"That's great! Not that you had it, that we can hug," Rick quickly corrected.

Suzie chuckled. She put her supplies down on the floor and reached out to hug Rick. Rick beamed. He really liked hugs. Shammy waggled his eyebrows at him over Suzie's shoulder. Rick rolled his eyes. Suzie pulled back and smiled at Shammy. He put up his hands.

"I'll pass on the hug. Not worth the risk. I'm Shammy by the way-" he said.

"Understandable. I'm Suzie," she waved.

"Yes, yeah, sorry, my bad," Rick laughed, "This is my good friend Shammy - that's Kenny Samberg-"

"Shammy will do, hi, pleased to meet you," Shammy said.

"Pleased to meet you too-" Suzie began.

Rick interrupted, eager to share their story with someone who didn't already know it. "And this is my friend Suzie. Her dad uh, well, he uh-"

Rick shifted uncomfortably as he tried to think of a nice way to say what had happened. Suzie, however, had another idea.

"My estranged father drank himself to death in the bar and Rick tracked me down to tell me he named his houseboat after me," she explained.

Shammy's eyebrows rose, "Wow. Real meet cute huh?"

"Yep!" She laughed.

She shook her head at the ground as she did. While she wasn’t looking, Shammy gave Rick a pointed look. Rick countered it with a sneer. Both leapt back to casual when Suzie looked up again.

"So what are you doing here?" Rick asked.

"Oh um... well I'm an artist-" Suzie gestured to her supplies pointedly.

"A great artist," Rick corrected quickly.

"Mahalo. Great, but struggling," Suzie sighed through her smile. "After I got sick I couldn't work which meant I couldn’t be paid which meant I couldn't pay rent - I actually just moved into dad's houseboat! Yeah. Since he prepaid his mooring fees it gives me a place to live for the next six months, before I need money again."

Rick's face fell, "You're struggling that much?"

"Well art isn't an essential industry-" She began.

"No, no - I deeply disagree!" Rick argued, "Art is what's kept all of us sane - kept me sane through this whole thing, right Sham?"

Shammy blinked in surprise. He had been witness to multiple arguments between Rick, TC, Magnum and Higgins about the importance of art and it almost always ended in Kumu changing the subject. At the same time though, he was gonna back up Rick to the hilt.

"Uh, I don’t think I've ever considered you sane Rick, but you were reading a lot of comics in lockdown," Shammy said.

Rick frowned, "No, Shammy-"

"Comics huh?" Suzie smiled.

"They're art! They're drawings _and_ stories," Rick argued.

"So are cartoons," Shammy countered.

"I actually agree with you. They’re called comic book _artists_ right," Suzie grinned.

"Exactly, see, exactly!" Rick gave Shammy a pointed look.

Shammy scoffed, "So? They call the subway staff sandwich artists it doesn’t make them one."

"I dunno, preparing, crafting and creating good food can be more than an art form, it can be a token of love," Suzie shrugged.

"Good food?" Shammy raised an eyebrow, "Someone’s never been to subway."

"Excuse him, he's hungry and cranky and leaving," Rick said, pointedly.

"Leaving?" Shammy repeated.

"That's what I said," Rick nodded.

He tilted his head forward to silently stress at him to leave. Shammy grumbled.

"Fine. I'll wait in the car," he huffed. "It was a pleasure to meet you Suzie."

"You too Shammy. Hey, if you visit La Mariana enough maybe we'll bump into each other again," Suzie said.

"I'll keep an eye out. Aloha," Shammy waved.

Rick waited until he was out of earshot before turning back to Suzie. "You don’t have to keep an eye out for him-"

"Oh I will. He seems great," Suzie said, firmly.

"He is he's just uh... well you know what friends are like, if they can embarrass you they will," Rick ran a hand across his neck sheepishly.

It was then that he remember that and Shammy were wearing matching wetsuits and he couldn’t help feeling just a little embarrassed. Suzie just chuckled.

"Well my friends are artists so most of the time they don’t even realise when they’re being embarrassing," she said.

"I would like to meet a group like that," Rick grinned.

"Chances are you will. The art industry is tanking. I'm sure it won't long before there's two of us living in that crappy little boat but it'll be worth it to help a friend," Suzie admitted.

Rick asked tilted his head. "To help a friend huh?"

If there was one thing that would bring Rick down to his knees it was helping a friend. Or anyone really. He had needed a lot to escape his troubled childhood and get to be who he was now, and he was still consistently paying it forward. Especially since he could help directly now, instead of constantly calling in favours.

"Listen remember that storm a few weeks back? Well my friends drove a van through my wall - don't ask - and we've had it repaired but now there's a big clean section next to all of the flyers and posters and whatever. I dunno, since you’re an artist, maybe you could do something with that space? Make it look good?" Rick shrugged.

Suzie pulled her shoulders back. "Are you asking me to paint you a mural?"

"If it'll help you," Rick insisted. "And I do like art. My business partner, he has a history in art or an art history, I forget, but I'm sure we could pay you for your time."

"That..." Suzie looked as if he had offered her the world, "actually sounds great! I feel a little like Rapunzel painting the walls in that boat, just being outside might do me some good."

"Great! Great, well, you know where to find me," Rick grinned.

"And you me," Suzie agreed.

"Yeah. Great. Do you um, do you need a ride there or-"

"Oh, no thanks, I was going to paint the bay. I'll be here a while."

"I'll leave you to it. Aloha,"

"Bye."

Rick was absolutely beaming as he climbed back into the van with Shammy. Shammy grinned knowingly at him. Rick could feel the accusation in his eyes.

"What?"

" _You like her!"_

Rick rolled his eyes. He should have seen this coming. "It's not like that!"

"What'd you say when I left? Tell me everything," Shammy beamed.

"You’re such a gossip," Rick laughed.

"C'mon, I'm bored and the radio's broken! Entertain me," Shammy whined.

"I offered her a job painting a mural on that wall Booky broke, that's all."

"Oh did you ask TC about that?"

Rick wrinkled his nose. He was more than willing to pay for the mural out of his own pocket but it was still TC's bar.

"TC will agree, he likes art."

"He likes money too. And you agreed to keep him in the loop," Shammy countered.

"I will. I will. Just uh... maybe I'll loop him in when the design is under way," Rick shrugged.

Shammy hummed disapprovingly, "Man he's gonna be mad at you."

"No he won't, I'm just helping a friend," Rick argued.

"You’re always just helping a friend Rick. Help me. Don't let me lose my job, it's the main thing keeping me together!"

"You can keep your job Shammy, I promise."

Shammy sighed as he leaned back in his seat. That big old heart of Rick's was trouble.

With Juliet out working a case with Thomas and Ethan and TC out talking to potential marines, Rick was left on his own in the bar. It usually wasn’t a problem being alone, especially here where it didn’t feel like being alone, but today he wanted someone, anyone, to talk to. His mind was just too full of Juliet. Right up until Suzie hoped onto a chair and knocked playfully on the bar behind him. He grinned, delighted at just the distraction.

"Well aloha!"

"Hi. You busy?"

"Not too busy for a friend," Rick dropped the washing up bowl in his hands instantly, "what's up?"

"I wanted to discuss the mural with you. I need to design it and that helps when you know what you're designing."

As she spoke Suzie placed a sketch pad and some pencils on the bar and rested her arms on top. Rick tilted his head at her for a moment. He didn't know about art beyond fleeting discussions with TC and Thomas explaining how he cracked the case using knowledge of ancient paints. Instead of trying, knowing it would make him feel foolish, Rick just shrugged and smiled.

"You’re the artist. Draw what you feel is right."

Suzie looked surprised by this, "Are you sure? Don’t you have some subject or ideas or-"

"Nope. No, I trust you," Rick said.

"Wow... wow, okay! No one's ever given me this much freedom over a commission before. I wont let you down," Suzie declared.

"I believe it, I've seen your work," Rick agreed.

Suzie beamed at him and Rick grinned back. It was nice to have Someone's full focus for once. Maybe it wasn't quite who’s attention he was after, but it was still nice.

"I tell you what, why don’t we just talk then so I can get a feel for this place and you and see what sparks an idea," she asked.

"Sounds great, are ya hungry? We've got the best menu going," Rick declared proudly.

"Oh, I'm not sure that-"

"Ah c'mon! You wanna get a feel for this place? Then get a _taste_ of what we have to offer!"

Suzie looked surprised as the pun buffered through but eventually she let out a laugh like she just couldn’t hold it in. Rick smirked.

"You like that? I've got a thousand more. Let me get you a menu and we can talk," he said.

She smiled back and nodded, "Sounds good."

Rick fetched a menu and left it in front of her to read through. As she read he described every option as proudly as possible. He made each one sound more delicious than the last. Suzie chuckled as she tried to pick one. Rick told her to just close her eyes and point. When she did, he grinned.

"One beautiful portion of Mahi coming right up!"

Suzie chuckled as she watched him hurry off to place the order with the chef. While he was gone she took the time to look around the bar.

Rick had worked hard to make this place feel welcoming and homely, while keeping the nautical tiki theme alive. Everything he cared about was here, and he wanted to present way the island felt to him as best he could.

From way the strings of lights arched across the room, to the way the buoys were strung up in old fishing nets and turned into lamps - even the tropical fish in their coral colours behind the bar! They all worked together to create a space that felt comforting to hang out in.

Suzie particularly liked the natural depth of the bare wooden pillars, carved with tiki faces that held up the roof. Under the skylight that allowed in a flood of Hawaiian sun, the polish on the wooden pillars gleamed. They matched the panelling across the walls and the bar itself. As cluttered as the walls felt, the tables and bar were clean and gleaming. A reassuring sight.

She ran a finger along the top of a beautiful carved boat, that was clearly designed to be a shelf. It had two legs propping it up, and was pushed up against a divider between the bar and dining area. Four lamp buoys were suspended above it, giving it a spot light while masking the large speakers on the wall above it. Inside, the shelf was cluttered by framed photographs.

That was TC's idea but Rick loved it so much that he would always claim it was his own. He was, after all, building off of Rick's idea of hanging photos on the wall to feel more homely. Suzie chuckled as she admired this particular shelf.

Rick frowned when he noticed she was gone, but perked up again when he noticed what she was looking at.

"You like it?" He asked.

Suzie picked up a photo from the left and of the boat. She tilted her head at it curiously. Inside the frame was a woman, holding up a margarita like she was celebrating something, and beaming with pride. She had a bright pink lei around her neck, dark curls pinned away from her face, and a New York Knicks Jersey on.

"Who's this?" She asked.

Rick leaned across her to get a better look. "Um, that's the first owner of this bar. Yeah, see this is a timeline. We've got her at that end, other owners along the line, and then look -"

He lifted the very last framed photo from the end and held it up to his chest, grinning like a child who just won a certificate. In the photo, he and TC were standing side by side. TC had an arm slung around him so tightly that vaguely resembled a headlock. Rick though, was pushed up against him like he thought he was one of Charlie's angels. They were both wearing bright yellow shirts dotted with orange helicopters and embroidered with a logo for a local helicopter tour company. By the look of the black and orange shapes behind them, they were in the hanger when the photo was taken.

"Who's that?" Suzie asked.

Rick's brow furrowed, "that's me."

"No," Suzie wasn’t sure whether to laugh or roll her eyes, "beside you! Who's that guy?"

"Oh him! That's Theodore. He runs Island Hopper Tour- they're fantastic, best tours on the island if you're ever looking. He was in the Navy with me and my buddy Tommy. Flew choppers out in the sandbox too. He's doing really well for himself since, he's a silent partner of this place."

Suzie's eyebrows rose as she realised multiple things at once. Firstly, Rick was in the Navy. That hadn't come up yet. Secondly, he was very proud of the people around him and very open about it, which was kind of cute. Thirdly, and perhaps most importantly, once he started talking, he didn't stop. Which met that fourthly, she was going to have a lot of information, both useful and not, thrown at her in the next hour or so.

"Is that where you met Shammy?"

"No, actually we only met Shammy once we were already living here. Just after we lost our friend Nuzo. That's him there-"

Rick pointed to another frame, this time hanging on a wall. It was of four men, Rick included, in camouflage pants, sweat drenched khaki tops and sunglasses, smiling for the camera. He stepped closer to zero in on the bald man, second from the left. There was a slightly sad smile as he did.

"Nuzo died and it really brought the three of us together. And Jules. I'm pretty sure she was going to get one of those electronic fences that keep dogs out of places, y’know the ones I mean? I think she was going to put one around Robin's Nest to keep us out."

Suzie smiled and nodded as if she understood exactly what he meant. In all honestly she wasn't sure she did. She had heard of Robin's Nest but he couldn't actually mean _the_ Robin Masters estate, could he?

"She hadn't been in Hawaii long before we came crashing down into her lap and I don't think we were exactly welcome. Sometimes I think Tommy still isn’t. But when Nuzo died she stepped up and helped figure out what happened. I'm not sure we would have managed it without her," Rick's sad smile warmed but it didn’t get any less sad.

Suzie watched the way his eyes moved between the photographs of him and his brothers in arms, to a photo almost identical, but Nuzo was missing, and Shammy, a woman she didn't recognize, and a man in police gear had appeared. It spoke volumes.

"She sounds great," Suzie said gently.

"She is," he nodded. "She's dating this Doctor at the moment. He was actually the reason Booky drove through that wall you’re about to paint."

"Really?"

"Kinda. It's a long story."

Suzie quietly snickered to herself. So far everything out of Rick's mouth had been a long story and it hadn't stopped him yet. However long that story was, she didn't want to know.

"So Tommy, Theodore and you were pilots?" Suzie asked curiously.

Rick chuckled as he set the frame back into place on the boat shelf. "No, no, only TC was a pilot. Magnum and I-"

"Magnum?"

"Tommy. Thomas Magnum. He's a private investigator now, him and Juliet. Juliet Higgins. Jules. She's English. She's the brains. Not that Tommy isn’t smart, he is, but he's no where near as smart as Higgy. And if we're being totally honest, she's not got his heart. He's a bleeding heart that one, and it's caused some problems, but its also ended a lot of them. Hang around long enough and I'm sure he'll turn up looking for a free beer or some sound advice."

Rick bounced back so quickly that it was almost as if his sorrowful trip down memory lane had never happened. Suzie admired that. Having the wilfulness to bounce back even when the world felt like it was conspiring against her was how she had made it this far as an artist.

"Is that what you are? Sound advice?" She asked.

"I'm a bartender. It's practically a therapist," Rick smirked.

Suzie recalled her art school days tending strangers who bore their souls over a glass of rye at two pm, "I'll drink to that!"

"Another coke?" Rick offered.

"Please," she said.

"I'll fetch you a glass right away _madam_!"

Rick winked as he bounced away and Suzie smiled. Capturing this labyrinth of a man in a mural was going to be interesting. She could use a little more interesting in her life.

Rick was entirely incapable of wasting time. He couldn't actually stand still and do nothing if he tried. He was constantly talking to people and clearing plates and refilling glasses even as he answered Suzie's questions. All his answers tended to lead back to the same places. Or, more actually, the same people. TC and Juliet. Thomas, Shammy and Kumu popped up a lot too, along with someone called Gordy, someone called Icepick and someone called Kamekona. Suzie hadn't been sure if he meant _the_ Kamekona, renowned businessman, pillar of the community and former criminal, but she somehow wasn’t surprised to find out he did. But by the time he left her to finish her meal and design the mural her head was full of ideas.

So many ideas that she spent so long sketching instead of eating. Too long. When she finally reached out to try some it was cold and a little clammy. Suzie winced. She had a habit of getting in the zone and forgetting to eat until the food was ruined. All she could do was hope that Rick wouldn't notice.

Rick appeared like he had been summoned, with a washing up box of dirty cutlery and a face full of concern. Suzie chest tighten.

"Something wrong with it?" He asked suspiciously.

She put on her best innocent smile and shook her head, "No, uh, just kinda full."

His frown deepened. "That sounds kind of suspicious. Let me see here."

He took a large bite out of the fish and Suzie wrinkled her nose. She felt bad for having let it go cold. Rick, however, shook his head in disgust.

"Oh! No, no, no, no! That mahi's not even cooked!"

Suzie blinked. She hadn’t even noticed that. "No?"

"Oh my God, what are you doing? You gotta say something when that happens! You know, raw fish can kill you," he insisted.

"How? It's just sushi, right?" She smirked.

"No. Oh, my God, I'm so sorry. So embarrassing," he fumbled apologetically. Suzie bit back a smirk. He was cute like this too. "I'm sorry, my-my chef, he moved back to Texas when COVID hit, and the new guy, he could use..."

"Cooking lessons?" she offered.

Rick gave a sheepish laugh, "Yeah."

Satisfied that she wasn't upset, even if he was, Rick let it go. He reached over the bar to refill her glass by way of an apology.

"The bartender go with him?" She teased.

"Oh, no, he just stopped showing up," he shrugged.

Both of them were too busy laughing to notice TC's arrival, let alone the quirked eyebrow he watched them with.

"We've got all kinds of problems," Rick admitted.

"What's so funny?" TC asked.

Rick looked around at him a little too fast to pretend it wasn’t a surprise. TC's eyebrow stayed up, pointedly.

"Our inability to retain staff, apparently," Rick forced his smile to stay firm, despite the urge to insist this wasn't what he so obviously thought it was, "TC, this is...Suzie."

"I remember. Your dad had a houseboat in the marina, named it after you," TC said. He gave her a warm smile. "Kind of hard to forget."

"Right. I actually just moved in there. Fell on some hard times, but Rick was kind enough to let me do what I love and pay me for it," she explained.

Rick's chest tightened as he fought the urge to wince. TC's eyebrows rose again, but this time for an entirely different reason.

"Uh, the wall that we replaced? The one that Booky ploughed through? Suzy's gonna snazzy it up, paint a mural for us," Rick explained.

"Oh. Nice," TC said, though his voice and the look in his eyes did not fully match his words. Not until he looked back at Suzie at least, "Of what?"

"It's a surprise," Rick said.

"Rick didn't want to know," Suzie explained.

"Well, I trust the artist. You know, I want to leave it to her and her vision," Rick said.

"And I won't let you down," Suzie promised. "And I better get back to it, actually. Uh, thank you for the... the meal."

"Yeah, well, next time it won't be so bad. I promise," Rick said.

"Okay," she laughed.

TC waited until she had left the bar entirely to climb onto the seat next to where she had been sitting.

"Suzie, huh?" He smiled, pointedly.

"Come on. We were just talking," Rick shrugged sheepishly.

"About a mural. When was I gonna hear about it?" TC asked, pointedly.

"Don't worry Theodore, it's coming out of my pocket," Rick assured him.

"Good!" Was all TC had to say about it.

Deep down TC was actually pretty pleased with the idea of a mural of their own on the bar. He and Juliet had recently gone walking through Kaka'ako and it really flamed at the buried artist within him. He was starting to think about picking up a paintbrush himself.

"How'd your recruiting talk go?" Rick asked.

TC sighed. That stress right there, that was another reason to pick up a paintbrush, just to paint it all away.

"Good, mostly. But there's this one kid named Joey. I'm kind of worried about his motivation for signing up."

"Well, mine was easy: enlist or do time," Rick snickered.

"And I wanted to fly, baby," TC smiled wistfully.

"Why is Joey doing it?"

"To please his family."

"Oh."

Rick frowned. He had met plenty of people who had enlisted because of family expectations and their hearts weren't exactly in it the same way as everyone else’s were. They weren't trying to prove themselves to themselves, they were trying to prove themselves to their ancestors. Without the satisfaction of knowing they had achieved it, they sometimes got reckless. That cost lives.

"I'm not sure I should get involved. I mean, who's to say what the right reasons are?" TC said.

"Well, whatever our motivations were, we both wanted it. You can't do it for somebody else. You're gonna have to talk to that kid, lay it down," Rick warned.

"Yeah, well, I spoke to the officer candidates as a favour to Mitch. What's he gonna say if I talk Joey out of it?" TC asked.

"He's not gonna be happy," Rick shrugged again. Maybe it was the mild bitterness of not being asked, but he added, "Look, it sucks, but there's sometimes a cost to doing the right thing."

TC's shoulders heaved as he sighed. "I'll call him. Might as well ask him to dinner, we've already spent the say together."

"I'd say come here but uh," Rick nudged Suzie's plate judgementally, "I think I need to have another talk with the new chef."

"I'll leave you to it. Remember to be nice, he's barely graduated culinary college-" TC began.

"Believe me, I know!" Rick urged.

TC just shook him head and wandered away to make his phone call in peace. Rick gave a satisfied nod as TC left. Sound advice. That was what he was there for. He picked up the washing up box again and sat it on his hip, ready to collect up more cutlery. As he passed by the photos of his friends, Nuzo and Juliet included, Rick slowed. They were only in Hawaii because of Nuzo. They had only met Juliet because they were here. They had only become close after Nuzo's death.

As agonisingly unfair as it felt to have lost him, at least it had lead to Juliet. Rick smiled softly at the photo.

"Miss you buddy."

Rick didn’t like to dwell on wondering how different life would be if he hadn't had certain choices or if he had made others. Instead, he set his shoulders back, took a deep breath, and carried on working.

He was so busy clearing up after lunch that it felt like TC had barely left when suddenly he was back.

"So everything worked out with Mitch," TC explained, finally satisfied and guilt free, "He's gonna call Joey."

"That's what I said would happen," Rick declared, smugly.

TC frowned, "No. You said, it sucks, but there's always a cost to doing the right thing."

"Yeah, except there wasn't a cost, so it all worked out. Just like I said," Rick countered.

TC rolled his eyes. Rick chuckled at the reaction. Sometimes poking at TC was more satisfying than being right. Although TC quickly got his own back by wagaling his eyebrows at Rick when Suzie appeared again. Rick felt a little hot under his collar. TC grinned approvingly.

"I'm done," Suzie smiled.

"For the day?" Rick asked hopefully.

"No. Done-done," she said, "Want to see it?"

"Yeah."

"Uh, yeah!"

Suzie lead the two men outside again. She tidied away some of the supplies out of the way to display the wall in it's full glory. Whatever Rick had been expecting, it was not this. It knocked the wind right out of him.

Suzie had painted a map of America across the whole wall. She highlighted certain cities, painting smaller clusters to embody them separately. Across the middle, she had two flags crossing across each other and billowing in imaginary wind. The Hawaiian flag and Old Glory herself. It slammed full force into that patriotic part of Rick like a wrecking ball and left him breathless.

Suzie looked concerned when he kept staring, wide eyed and wordless. "Is it... okay?"

"It's not okay..." Rick stammered. That sent a surge of alarm through Suzie. Then he stammered, "Uh... it's incredible."

Suzie could suddenly breath again. The alarm dissolved into relief and she knew she was going to have to get him back for this.

"Hell yeah. What he said!" TC beamed.

"So the Chicago-" Rick instantly gravitated towards the city he had once called home, "the Chicago is for me."

"Yeah," Suzie nodded.

"Wow!" Rick breathed.

He kept looking round to TC in wonder to check that he was seeing this too because he wasn't absolutely awestruck like Rick was and he didn’t understand how. TC was too busy being deeply amused and proud of Rick for finally experiencing the way great art made TC feel. Maybe he'd tease him less now.

"Then you got North Carolina. Roxboro and Pettigrew," TC grinned.

"Well, Rick mentioned you're a not-so-silent silent partner," Suzie explained, beaming with pride to see them both looking pleased. "And the original owner, Annette La Mariana Nahinu, was from Brooklyn. So, New York's for her."

"Brooklyn!" TC whooped.

Suzie laughed. TC beamed. She had known him hardly a day and she was already growing to like him.

"This is... this is amazing. I'm-I'm touched. Really. I... H-How did you know some of these things?" Rick stammered, amazed.

"You talk a lot!" Suzie laughed. TC's eyebrows rose. A lot was an understatement. She shrugged, "I listen."

"Uh, you can't even tell that a van drove through here," TC nodded, approvingly.

"No. No, you can't. No, this is... this is amazing. I-I feel like paying you isn't enough thanks, Do you want to... maybe, uh..."

Rick wasn't really sure where he was going with this. Part of him wanted to ask her out properly, just to crash and burn and move on from the opportunity, amd part of him still felt like it was treasonous to try and move on without telling Juliet the truth. Either way it didn’t matter before Suzie cut him off.

"You can keep the cash. What I need is a job. I used to tend bar back in art school. Any chance I could work here? Even part time would help a lot," she asked hopefully.

Rick blinked in surprise, "You-you want to work here? She wants, she wants to work here. You can... Definitely - You can start tomorrow!"

"Yeah?"

"Yes."

"You're saving me. Thank you."

"No, thank you. You're saving us!"

"Thanks."

"Okay."

"Okay."

"Bye."

"See you tomorrow."

TC bit back a grin. He watched the way that Rick watched Suzie wander away. Rick bit hit lip as he half hoped Suzie would glance back. TC snickered. Rick finally looked back to him, bewildered.

"Oh, come on! You like her!" TC laughed.

Rick put on his best shocked look, "What?"

TC laughed and shook his head. He didn’t believe it for a second. "Of course, you do realize that now that she's gonna work for you, she's the only woman on this island that you can't date?"

Rick's face fell. "Huh?"

"That sucks. But there's a cost to doing the right thing," TC sneered.

Rick frowned, "I see what you did there."

TC snickered again. He slung an arm around Rick's shoulders and took a moment longer to admire their new mural. It was a good decision. He approved of it. But there was something far more important that he approved of too.

"Does this mean you’re finally gonna let Higgy go?"

Rick's shoulders sank slowly under his arm as his heart dimmed in his chest. If there were two things that were painfully clear from that poker tournament it was that Juliet liked Ethan a lot, and Thomas liked her more. That was already going to end in a mess. Rick really didn’t want to pile onto that. It wouldn't be fair to any of them. And besides, he loved Thomas more than anything. Maybe even more than he loved Juliet. So it might hurt - no. It would hurt. But he had to try and let whatever this was go.

"C'mon man, you know what its like having feelings for a friend. It gets messy. Then it drags in the whole group. Then that group falls apart. Us, we're basically family. We can't risk falling apart," TC warned.

Rick put on the best puppy dog eyes he had in him to look up at TC, "Not even for love?"

TC scowled. He absolutely hated the way that Rick knew how to play him. Especially when it worked. The desperate hope in Rick's eyes made TC's heart race in excitement at the idea of romance. He had to push it back down before Rick won.

"Don't play to the romantic in me Orville, you know I'm right!" He huffed. "What happens if she ends up with you and Thomas treats you the same way he treats Doctor Ethan? What if you and Tommy cant be in the same room? You're my business partner, Shammy works with me, Gordy's Juliet's friend - who does that leave Tommy with?"

Rick felt a flood of guilt and sorrow at the idea of leaving Thomas all alone with no one to turn to and a heart full of pain. He knew how deeply he fell for people. Once Thomas's heart was gone it took forever to claw it back. Especially after Hannah. Juliet was nothing like her, but she was just as important to him.

He couldn’t drop that all on Kumu, it just wasn't fair.

"I know, I know, you’re right. It's better for everyone if I move on. And Suzie, she's smart and she's funny and she’s a great artist and..." Rick trailed off with a sigh.

"And she works for you," TC argued. "You can't ask out someone who works for you Rick, the power dynamic alone-"

Rick rolled his eyes and pulled away from the arm resting across his shoulders, "You are a real bummer you know that?!"

TC just chuckled again. "C'mon. I'll buy you a drink."

...

Rick wasn't exactly sure what they had missed, but when Juliet came back with stories of backstreet doctors, bullet wounds, and the conclusion of a long forgotten murder, he understood why she wanted a drink.

"The worse part was that I had to wake up Magnum and he had only been asleep for an hour. If these nightmares continue they're going to seriously impact his detective abilities," She complained.

There was a heavy layer of concern in her voice though. Whatever was causing Thomas's problems, she wanted them sorted as much as everyone else did. Maybe even more.

"Don't worry about Tommy, we're used to sleep deprivation, trust me," Rick assured her.

A flicker of curious apprehension crossed her face. She was well aware that sleep deprivation was a popular torture device, especially in prisoner of war camps. If they suffered it there, that might bring back memories for Thomas. Now she was concerned all over again.

"Let's change the subject shall we?" She declared.

Rick pursed his lips and nodded, "sure. What're you thinking?"

"Um..."

Juliet looked around the bar curiously, trying to spot anything new worth talking about. Her attention was caught by the sound of the kitchen door slamming shut. The blonde woman hurrying through it, tying on an apron as she went, was new.

"New barmaid?"

"Bar tender is the correct, gender neutral term Higs," Rick corrected.

Juliet eyed him, "Alright. She's new though, right? Although she does look awfully familiar. Was she a client at some point?"

"No, no, she uh... she's the daughter of the guy who died in the bar," Rick said.

He ran a hand across the back of his neck as he did. He was really going to need to figure out how to say that in a way that sounded good.

"Oh yes! Yes she is... she's very pretty," Juliet said, pointedly.

Rick felt the heat rising again, "Is she? I hadn't noticed."

"Are you blind? Should I ask Ethan to set you up an appointment to get your eyes checked?" Juliet teased.

Rick's eyes squinted bitterly as he forced a smile that was only partly as jealous as he felt, "It's impressive how you always manage to work the fact that you're dating a doctor into every conversation. Tell me, are you dating him for his personality or his job?"

Juliet reeled back in surprise. Rick's head flicked down sheepishly. Clearly he had been spending too much time relying on Magnum's brash jealousy to mask his own. He could feel Juliet’s eyes searching him.

"Okay, that's a little hostile," she said. She shifted in her seat to lean forward, and let her voice soften, "What’s going on?"

Rick felt a dull thud in his chest. They had come a long way since the slaughterhouse. Back then he was sure those little playful touches of hers were flirtatious. Now they seemed genuine. Caring. He had skipped into the friend zone so eagerly that he hadn’t even noticed himself doing it.

"Sorry... I haven't had any real feelings for anyone since Toni left and yo-" Rick's heart beat faster, "Suzie is a friend and..."

Rick instantly regretted using Suzie as a cover. They weren't children anymore. He couldn't get away with pretending to like someone else to hide the fact that he liked her. That wasn't fair to Suzie. And there would be hell to pay if TC found out.

"You like her?"

Rick looked slightly more pained. He did like Suzie, but not quite in that way. Not enough to make a go for it anyway. Especially since she was now working for him. Juliet tilted her head. She hadn't seen this coming. She knew Rick wore his heart on his sleeve, even if it hurt him, but she hadn't considered just what he might sacrifice for someone else’s happiness.

Rick licked his lips. He suddenly had Juliet's full attention now. It made his insides feel funny. And, well, she was smart. She understood life and the pitfalls of relationships. Maybe, if he was careful, if he didn't say too much, maybe he could use this as a cover to dig for her opinions.

"It's dangerous, y’know? Having feelings for a friend? It can real ruin the whole group dynamic," Rick said, tentatively.

"Yeah... Yeah I understand that. But y’know you shouldn't date co-workers anyway-" Juliet began.

"Yeah, no, right! Exactly, I've taken her off the menu and put her behind the bar," Rick immediately backtracked.

"A fitting if mildly insulting analogy," Juliet muttered.

Rick bit his lip again as she drank from her bottle. Oh it shouldn't have felt this good to know she didn't date co-workers. Because she only really had one these days. If he wasn't an option, then that took away half of the problems. Only half though.

"Things going well with you and the good doctor then?" Rick asked.

"I think so. Y’know..." Juliet gave a sheepish chuckle, "it seems silly now but I actually had kumu run a background check on Ethan before we started dating. Magnum said that I was looking for a reason to pull the ripcord before I even started falling... maybe hiring Suzie is your version of pulling the ripcord."

Rick's heart thumped again. He hadn’t realised how adamantly she would stick to uncovering his feelings for someone else.

"Or maybe I'm just trying to keep my options open. She wont be working here forever. When she leaves, maybe she wont really be leaving," he shrugged breezily.

Juliet's eyes were fixed firmly on him as she titled her head, "You really do want to date her don’t you?"

Rick's cheeks burned as she stared down at the bar. He couldn’t lie to her, but he sure as hell couldn't tell her the truth either.

"I dunno... It would be nice to have someone who actually wanted to spend time with me outside of the bedroom for a change."

Juliet stared at him. Her jaw hung open as she processed this. Logically she knew that she should say something uplifting, but honestly she was taken aback by the idea of Rick actually dating someone for a change. It was unexpected and not entirely welcome.

"Don't sell yourself short Rick, you're a smart, handsome and arguably funny man. Any woman would be lucky to spend time with you," Juliet said.

Her voice sounded a little robotic as she tried her best not to give away the discomfort she found herself in. Rick did not notice. His head snapped up.

"You think I'm funny?" He breathed, in wonder.

Juliet's nose wrinkled in regret, "I said arguably funny."

He grinned, "I heard funny."

"And we're arguing. Check mate," she countered.

It was too late. She had given him a glimpse of her cards. She had let slip more than she intended. Each words was like a glowing badge of pride in his heart.

"You think I'm handsome _and_ funny. Those are the most important things," he declared.

She fought hard to keep the pink out of her cheeks, "I also think you're a right wally when you want to be!"

"Yeah? A handsome and funny wally!" Rick grinned.

She rolled her eyes, "You're not going to let this go are you?"

"Not on your life. So tell me," Rick leaned dramatically across the bar so his face was inches away from hers. She tensed up, feeling her own chest frightened. He put on a sultry voice and whispered, "What is it that makes me so handsome?"

Juliet felt the heat grow in her cheeks and she leapt off of her stool, "Alright I'm leaving-"

"No, wait! Come back! I'll let it go, just- just come back!" Rick urged desperately. Juliet set a hand on her hip as she looked back at him. "Let me introduce you to Suzie."

Her other hand gripped the bottle neck tight enough to strangle it. That was the last thing she wanted right now. "Sure."

Rick nodded and hurried off. Juliet's knees felt slightly too week to hold her up. She hurried back to the bar and back to her stool to support herself. While no one was looking she looked at her own reflection in the mirror behind the bar.

"Get it together!" She hissed.

Her pounding heart completely ignored her. It had a habit of doing that. Although in her experience that habit usually ended in her getting utterly and completely crushed. A feeling that was hauntingly similar to the one blooming within her at the sight of Rick bringing Suzie over, with his arm across her back.

"This is my good friend Juliet Higgins," Rick announced proudly.

"Oh _you're_ the famous Jules!" Suzie gasped.

Juliet recoiled. No one had called her that since the whole Viper incident. Something about the second most important person in her past life saying she was no longer "the Jules I know" put the rest of them off the nickname. None more so than Juliet herself. Maybe it was more of a symbol than anything, but to her that nickname was a line in the sand.

She left Jules - angry, vengeful, reckless, so in love with the man she lost that it hurt to live without him - in England. Out here she was Juliet. She was Higgy. She was a dozen different names, all created by Rick. But she wasn’t Jules.

"Oh, um... I guess I must be. I usually go by Juliet though," she corrected politely.

"Sorry, Rick talks a lot, sometimes it's hard to keep track of the names and who's who," Suzie apologised.

 _"Rick_ here does have a penchant for nicknames," Juliet smiled knowingly.

"That has been noted, _Cap,"_ Rick agreed.

Juliet wrinkled her nose and drank from her beer to hide the smile that tugged at her lips. Only one other person ever called her that. Only he was allowed to now.

"I hear you're the artist behind that beautiful mural outside?" Juliet said.

"Yes, that's what got me the job," Suzie explained.

"Interesting interview technique you have Rick," Juliet said.

Rick shrugged but grinned, "What can I say, La Mariana is one of a kind."

"Clearly. I believe this is the only tiki bar left on the island so it makes sense that it's unique in many ways," Juliet said.

Rick titled his head to the side as he held her gaze. He had a vague memory of someone telling him this was the last real tiki bar on the island but that was so long ago he couldn't remember who. But here was Juliet, parroting his words. She not only listened, she remembered. And she did not make it easy to move on from her.

"Well I'm grateful for it. for the art and the job. It helps to have a great boss to work beside too," Suzie said.

"Hear that? Great boss," Rick raised his chin smugly.

There were a great many things Juliet had to say to that. She chose, instead, to ignore it. "I admire your art skills. Good luck working with him though."

Suzie chuckled and opened her mouth to respond, but someone waved at her and her attention split. "Oh - duty calls. Pleasure meeting you."

"Likewise," Juliet forced a smile.

She watched Suzie move freely through the bar and it hit her how ridiculous she was being. Suzie seemed genuinely lovely. A happy, smiling woman, ready and willing to talk to strangers and tease him at the same time. She was just like Rick. They could be good together. They could be happy.

Juliet definitely wanted Rick to be happy...

"So? What'd you think?" Rick asked.

Juliet turned back to face him. Once again he was inches away, smiling that idiotic smile that made his bright blue eyes absolutely shine. For a moment she wondered just how important happiness really was. After all, misery loved company. She would take misery with him over this bleak anger in her gut any day.

No... she wanted him to be happy. His smile was too dazzling to hold it back.

"You want my advice? I know it's a cliché, but be yourself," Juliet offered.

"You mean the _good boss_ that you just wished her luck dealing with?" Rick snorted.

Juliet knew he was just trying to push her back towards their usual teasing, but she wasn’t in the mood anymore. She didn't want to joke about this.

"I mean it. You're an interesting and wonderful person Rick. You're going to make some woman very happy one day. Maybe even her... You just have to let her see it," Juliet said.

Rick's smile faded at the edges as he stared at her. If she hadn't been dating Ethan at the time, Rick might even consider that flirtatious. Albeit in a rather roundabout kind of way.

"What uh..." his voice shook and he had to clear his throat to try and stop himself revealing too much again. "What, what made you see it?"

Juliet thought for a moment. Rick liked watching her think. It was as if he could see her mentally rifling through filing cabinets till she got to the one she needed.

"Remember when you climbed over Robin's gate and made banana and baloney sandwiches for the lads in the guest house?" She asked.

"Which time?" He asked.

"The first time," she said.

Rick's heart stopped. He blinked again. "That was the first day we met."

"It was."

Juliet gave a soft smile that felt so heavy with secret meaning that Rick's mind went spinning wondering if he was imagining things. If he wasn't then what was that smiling saying? It made his mind boggle.

"I knew from the moment those dogs refused to attack you that you were someone special," Juliet explained.

"You did huh?" Rick asked.

"I did. It takes a special man to not get torn apart by my dogs," Juliet smiled.

Desperate to choke out the rising tension inside him, Rick laughed just a little too loud and agreed, "I'll drink to that!"

"Maybe Suzie will get you one," Juliet said pointedly.

Rick's heart sank again. He felt like an idiot, reading between lines that didn’t even exist. If TC had been here, he'd call him one too. Rick forced a smile again.

"Maybe I'll ask."

Juliet forced a smile back. Neither were really sure what else to do now. She was calling his bluff. No wonder she always beat him at poker. There was nothing else he could do. Rick dragged himself away from Juliet and over towards Suzie. As he went, he reasoned with himself.

Sound advice. That's what Rick was there to provide. And yet the sound advice was to give up on these feelings he was developing for Juliet. Especially when there was someone else he could fall for nearby.

"Hey, uh, hi..." Rick stammered.

"Hello again," Suzie smiled. She didn’t register the fear in his eyes. "Juliet seems nice. I can see why you're so fond of her."

"Oh, I wouldn't say I was _fond_ of her, I just..." Rick swallowed, "we're friends is all."

Suzie instantly gave him this look of utter bafflement. "Oh. Really?"

"You thought there was something more?" He asked, uncomfortably.

"I..." Suzie glanced towards the bar. Juliet was staring at them. She wasn’t sure the woman was even blinking. She dragged her eyes back to Rick. "Um, when we were talking, you brought her up so many times that I spent two hours trying to figure out how to crowbar something British into that mural to represent her even though it just did not fit with the theme. It's all American and you kept telling me she was British. Proudly British. It drove me crazy trying to put something in there! She's clearly important to you."

Suzie was trying to make a point that she thought was obvious. It went straight over Rick's head though.

"You- you did? I didn't see - what did you do?" He frowned.

"I kinda copped out. When I painted the Hawaiian flag across the top I made sure that the Union Jack was about a centimetre more prominent than the rest," she admitted.

"Huh..."

Rick ran his tongue across the back of his teeth as he tried to remember the mural outside. The whole thing had screamed, not only America, but La Mariana to him. He hadn't noticed the British influence at all. Now that it was pointed out though, he couldn’t stop noticing it.

"It's actually only the union jack if its at sea-" he began.

"Mmm, actually they did away with that rule because so many people ignored it," Suzie said.

Rick's eyebrows rose, "they did? Huh..."

TC tilted his head at Juliet from across the bar. She was poised like a tiger, eyeing a distant danger. He watched her for a whole thirty seconds and she didn’t even blink. Curiosity got the better of him and he went to investigate. As he got closer, he noticed the bottle in her hands. Her grip on it was so tight her knuckles were white. In her hands, it was a weapon, so he decided not to tap her on the shoulder as intended.

Instead he cleared his throat, "You okay?"

Juliet whipped around at the interruption like a meerkat reacting to danger. She quickly repositioned herself to look calmer than she felt.

"Um... of course. Why wouldn't I be?" She asked, smiling.

"Because you look like you’re chewing glass," TC said, smiling.

Her smile faded slightly. She bowed her head and picked sheepishly at the label on her bottle. If TC figured out the mess churning inside of her, she'd be in trouble. His heart was too big. He emphasized with people too easily. He would definitely make her talk to Ethan about this and that was not something she wanted to do.

But it was TC.

His heart was huge, and he empathised with people easily, and he loved her. He was not about to let her sit here, looking grumpy, without probing for answers.

"C'mon Higgy, clue me in. Let me help," he urged, nudging her gently as he did.

Juliet gave a weak smile. It was the most genuine one she could muster. Fake smiles, she had discovered, didn't work with TC.

"Thank you for your concern, but I'm fine. I promise."

TC hummed dubiously, but he let it go. He knew her well by now. If she wanted to talk she would. Pushing got them no where.

"Alright well, if you change your mind you gonna me a call okay? You don't have to suffer alone. We care about you," he promised.

Juliet smiled back at him gently. Her mind wandered back to an earlier conversation with Thomas. He was upset she told Ethan about his sleeping issues. She pointed out that he was going to come up in conversations because he was an important part of her life. Looking back on that though, Juliet thought about how important Rick and TC were too. They cared about her. They made no bones about that. And she cared about them too. She wanted them to be happy.

So why did seeing Rick smile at Suzie like that make her chest ache?


End file.
